DPF Cleaning

Mobile DPF Cleaning & Diagnostics

DPF problems occur for many reasons, the DPF isn’t the problem it’s the victim.

There is a lot you need to consider when selecting services to address your DPF problem, the first step in the direction of failure is looking for the cheapest solution, in all cases Companies offering the cheapest solution are salespeople and not trained specialist troubleshooters, cleaning the DPF will not solve the problem because in most cases the DPF isn’t actually blocked and if they are blocked its a symptom of a problem, not a cause, they don’t block without a reason.

There isn’t a one size fits all solution to resolve problems with your DPF, the majority of our customers come to us after trying cheap solutions which in most cases are a temporary fix or simply do nothing because these are a sales product and don’t address the cause.

A warning light can come on for many reasons it doesn’t always mean that the filter is blocked, we are asked how much it is to clean a filter, in most cases this doesn’t solve the problem, we diagnose the problem before we decide what is required to resolve it, for this reason, we don’t offer a fixed price solution because we need to diagnose the cause.

DPF Cleaning is only temporary if the issues that have caused the problem are not found and resolved, there are many Companies offer a Cleaning service that don’t address the real issues these are often elusive and don’t leave any fault codes in the engine management, many Garages will offer DPF removal to eradicate the problem this is an illegal modification your vehicle will no longer meet its type approval and potentially void your insurance and also void any warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question. I’ve seen a DPF Deep clean advertised for £85 can you match the price?

Answer. There are many services and products on the market and many are misleadingly sold as a Deep Clean these are usually fluids which are introduced into the DPF to dissolve soot to reduce the back pressure in the hope the car will regenerate again afterwards these offer no real diagnostics as to why the DPF has become blocked in the first place and will not remove any ash from the filter, pour in the tank cleaners also offer no real cleaning but instead raise the exhaust gas temperature to try and achieve a regeneration which often doesn’t work and doesn’t address the cause of the problem, our Deep Clean removes soot and ash, we offer 2 types of cleaning which offer either to remove soot or a Deep clean which involves a lot more work than simply introducing a chemical into the filter, we offer a different and more involved service thats addresses the root cause as well as cleaning a blocked DPF.

Question. I have had a Diagnostics and was told its the DPF how much is a Clean?

A clean is more often not the correct fix as many dpf’s that come to us as been diagnosed as blocked are not actually blocked, as most garages don’t know how to correctly diagnose them, also when they are blocked its due to another problem so we can’t do a fixed price solution, we need to assess the problem ourselves first, if we just clean your DPF without assessing the real problem it will likely not work.

Question. Why can I buy a Non-Genuine DPF so cheap?

The answer is quite simple Genuine filters are far better quality and can actually last the lifetime of the car with our help.

A genuine DPF filter has precious metals inside including Platinum which is used for Passive Regeneration which reduces ash build up and prolongs the life of the filter, Genuine ones often have a higher residual scrap value than a cheap will cost to buy.

We have attempted to fix DPF problems on cheap copies in the past and not been able to get them to function to specification, so will present a constant problem until a Genuine one is fitted.

Question. How much does it cost for DPF cleaning?

Answer. The answer depends on the outcome of our assessment, we do 2 types of cleaning one will remove soot, the other will remove ash soot and oil, we only give an estimated range of costs beforehand as we don’t know what is required before our assessment, in many cases a clean isn’t actually required in which case the problem is often resolved for as little as £50

Question. My DPF light has come on can you fix this?

Answer. Yes we can, but before we look at your vehicle we ask if you have been doing short journeys and have you tried driving a longer journey preferably on a dual carriageway for about 30 mins keeping the engines revs above 2000 rpm or around 2500 rpm, if the light doesn’t go out then it would be a good idea to get us to check it as soon as possible, we can often find and fix a problem before the filter gets blocked.

Question. My DPF is blocked and I have been told I need a new DPF can you fix it ?

Ash Deposit on a DPF Temperature Sensor

Answer. Yes we can, there is 3 main types of obstruction that a filter can fall victim to

1. Soot (particulate matter which is comprised of mostly Hydrocarbons that are normally burnt off during a regeneration)

2. Ash (Minerals & Metals seen in vehicles with higher miles this accumulates in a DPF after each regeneration) and reduces the ability to store soot between regenerations, this can’t be cleaned chemically, in this case the filter is removed and sent away to be cleaned at our head office in a specialist machine that won’t harm the filter then is refitted to the vehicle and reprogrammed.

3. Oil this will contaminate the filter and quickly reduce its ability to store soot and reduces the exhaust airflow quickly bringing on a DPF fault this can also be a sign of wear in the turbocharger.

Question. What is a Diesel Particulate filter?

A diesel particulate filter (DPF or FAP) is fitted to a diesel vehicle which filters particulate matter from exhaust gases. It traps solid particles while letting gases escape. Filters like this have been used for over 20 years, They reduce particulate emissions to help meet European emission standards and improve air quality

Question. What is Particulate Matter?

Particulate Matter is a mixture of solid and liquid particles, including carbon, organic chemicals, ammonium nitrates, sulphate, sodium chloride, dust, water and a several metals

Question. What is a DPF Regeneration

A DPF fills with particulate matter and needs to be cleared, This is achieved with regeneration, which is a process of oxidising the soot at high temperatures also leaves behind a small amount of ash.

DPF Removal (Delete)

Removal isn’t a legal solution and can result in fines up £1,000 for a car and £2,500 for a van, MOT cancelled and the vehicle can only be retested in a DVSA testing station with the DPF reinstated.

In 2014 it became illegal to use a car on the road that has had its DPF removed.

We diagnose the cause and clean the filter (if required) while still on the vehicle, then perform a test regeneration saving you money in a costly replacement.

A DPF on a higher mileage vehicle is likely to have a buildup of ash which reduces the capacity to accumulate soot, resulting in more frequent regenerations eventually leading to regeneration failure we can also remove ash this does require removal and sending to our head office, it’s impossible to dissolve or burn away ash without damaging the DPF.

Cost of our service varies according to the work required,
the typical price varies £50 – £300 (this isn’t just a price for cleaning because cleaning alone is only likely to remedy the situation for a short while, the cause also needs to be found and addressed, most faults that cause regeneration failure don’t show up on diagnostics equipment so require different methods of investigation)

Regeneration Failure

If Regeneration fails it will lead to a build-up of soot which will affect performance and can lead to expensive repair costs, many have opted for removal but this has both legal and has social implications as particle matter emitted from diesel engines is estimated to cause cancer and kill approximately 80,000 people per year.

DPF Problems things you should know

A DPF is often seen as the problem which is why so many garages fail to resolve DPF issues

A blocked DPF isn’t usually the problem it is the victim, there are many things that can cause the filter to block so cleaning is often not the solution but just part of the fixing process.

We use 2 completely different systems to clean a filter depending on the type of accumulation inside.

Soot accumulation is the most common we have to deal with, this happens due to failed regenerations we can clear this with our mobile cleaning service.

Ash accumulation which is a normal slow accumulation inside a DPF, ash slowly reduces the DPF’s capacity to accumulate soot in between regenerations, the rate at which the ash builds up varies between cars, which is why manufactures give an expected life span of 80-100,000 miles, this can be cleaned in a specialist DPF cleaning equipment but does involve removing the DPF from the car but will give the DPF a new lease of life saving on expensive replacement, ash builds at different rates depending on how the vehicle is used, for instance on long journeys it will passively regenerate which produces less ash, with short journeys it will actively regenerate which increases ash build up, using the proper specified oil in servicing is also important as vehicles with a DPF require a low saps oil.

The Law And Mot Test

From February 2014 the inspection of the exhaust system carried out during the MoT test includes a check for the presence of a DPF, in 2018 the MOT is changing the smoke test limits are being reduced this will lead to many more failures and expensive rectification.

5 star � plus. After one phone call yesterday Bernie appeared today like a knight in a shinny van. He quickly identified the problems and before I knew it Bernie had sorted it.
Thank you so much the cars ruining like a dream now.
Highly recommend A1 Terraclean and will definitely be using again in the future, thanks again

Just had Bernie out to repair my car. Had engine management light on, also engine malfunction light. Car was in limp mode. Bernie diagnosed the problem and repaired within two hours. Lovely man that explains exactly what was wrong. Would recommend A1 Terraclean to anyone having problems with there dpf.
Thanks for great service......

Thanks Bernie, originally I was quoted £2,500 for a new DPF from my dealership for a new one! But was advised to get in touch with Bernie as he would be able to help! I am chuffed to bits with the customer service we received and value for money! Came out straightaway and very informative! Thanks again!x

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Mobile DPF Cleaning LTD. T/A A1 Terraclean - North East & Teesside

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